Maintaining Motivation: How to Adjust Your New Year’s Goals and Make Them Stick

“New year, new me!”

We’ve all been there. As January begins, motivation is at an all-time high and we set ambitious goals for the year ahead. Exercising more, eating healthier, being more productive … the list goes on. Then a few weeks (or months) pass, and that motivation starts to fade as life gets busy, making our goals feel further out of reach.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not failing - you’re human! And it’s not just motivation and willpower that determine success.

Here are some tips to make your goals stick!

1. Focus on Approach-Oriented Growth

How a goal is framed matters more than the goal itself. Goals that are focused more on what you want to achieve - rather than what you want to avoid - are more successful. Also, self-talk matters: framing the goal as “I choose to” rather than “I can’t” can make a huge difference.

Example: “I want to stop being lazy, so I can’t skip a workout” turns into “I choose to exercise more to feel stronger and more productive.”

2. Choose Goals that Matter to YOU

Internal motivation and doing something because you want to is significantly more powerful than external pressure. Personal goals are more likely to be maintained over time!

Example: “I’m going to get 8 hours of sleep every night because people say that I should” turns into “I’m going to get 8 hours of sleep every night because I want to feel rested and have more energy.”

3. Quality > Quantity

Having more goals doesn’t mean that you’ll accomplish more. Instead, focus on setting a few (or even just one) goal. This will allow you to focus your attention and energy on what matters most.

Example: “I want to eat healthy, work out, get 8 hours of sleep, drink more water, and cook every day” turns into “I will prioritize my nutrition and sleep for now, as that is the most important to me.”

4. Break Down Goals Into Small Achievable Steps

It might be tempting to dive right in, but breaking goals down into smaller chunks can help keep you motivated. This will also help your goal feel less intimidating.

Example: “I want to run a marathon” turns into “I’ll start by running for 20 minutes every day, for a month.”

5. Practice Compassion and Make a Plan for Setbacks

A plan includes what you’ll do when things go well… and what you’ll do when they don’t.

Slipping up is normal, and it doesn’t mean you’ve failed - it means you’re human! Don’t be too hard on yourself and remember that harsh self-criticism often leads to giving up, while compassion helps us get back on track. Prepare for these situations and make a plan on how you'll handle them.

Example: “I’m a failure, I didn’t stick to my healthier eating plan yesterday” turns into “I enjoyed the food I had yesterday, and one day does not define me. I will continue working towards healthier habits.”

6. Adjust Your Goals Along the Way

Don't be afraid of moving the bar, adapting doesn't mean that you’ve failed. Circumstances change, and if you’re finding yourself getting stressed about the goal that you’ve set, change that too! Focus on making your goals maintainable and modify them if they no longer align with what you want.

Example: “My goal was to go to the gym 5 days a week, but I haven’t done it… I’m a failure” turns into “Going to the gym 5 days a week is not realistic for me anymore, but I can commit to going 3 days a week, and that’s okay!”

Remember, perfection is the nemesis of progress. It's supposed to be a Happy New Year, so enjoy your journey!

Still feeling stuck? Get in touch with us HERE or by calling 587-333-6349. 💙

References

Heshmat, S. (2025). Setting Effective Goals. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/science-of-choice/202512/setting-effective-goals

Luna, Kaitlin. (2020). Speaking of Psychology: How to keep your New Year’s resolutions, with Pauline Wallin, PhD[Speech transcript]. American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/new-years-resolutions

Oscarsson M, Carlbring P, Andersson G, Rozental A (2020) A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals. PLoS ONE 15(12): e0234097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0234097

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